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Evidently Biddy had taught Joe to write As I lay in bed looking at hiain with pleasure to see the

pride hich he set about his letter My bedstead, divested of its

curtains, had been re-rooest, and the carpet had been taken away, and

the rooht and day At -table, pushed into a corner and cureat work, first choosing a pen from the

pen-tray as if it were a chest of large tools, and tucking up his

sleeves as if he were going to wield a crow-bar or sledgehammer It was

necessary for Joe to hold on heavily to the table with his left elbow,

and to get his right leg well out behind hiin he ht

have been six feet long, while at every up-stroke I could hear his pen

spluttering extensively He had a curious idea that the inkstand was

on the side of him where it was not, and constantly dipped his pen into

space, and seemed quite satisfied with the result Occasionally, he was

tripped up by soot on very well indeed; and when he had signed his na blot froers, he got up and hovered about the table, trying the